Porch glider



Sept. l1, 1951 B. MCGEHEE PORCH GLIDER Filed Jan. 1v, 1947 INVENTOR BUQNABD MQGEHEE.

ATTO R N EYS Patented Sept.,11, 1951 PORCH GLIDER Y A *Y Barnard McGehee, McCombg,vMissgfassignor of one-thirdk to L. S. McpClarenAand one-thirdito N. B. Gillis, bothof McComb',

Application JanuaryA 17, 1947, serial No. 122,509 A This-invention relates to .an articleofI furniture and particularly ltcrporch swings ror gliders..

Glidersare Well known inA which the seatpor.- tion issupported on a; linkage which permits for-Y ward and backward movement. However,V in many of theprior' devices this linkage. is some what complicated, and furthermore, there is an arouated component to thepath of` movement. Also, in these prior devices the forward and backward movement is rather limited. The arcuate movement is unpleasantV tosomeV people and for th' reason porch.l swings of this general type are objectionable to them. TheV present invention provides a simple inexpensive mechanismin a porch. glider or swing. so that. the seat. Willhave a, long, travel andthe.l path of travel` will be-substantially rectilinear.v l ,j Accordingly, the.. primary object of. invention is tdpr'ovide an improved glider inwhich the seat will 'have a long rectilinear horizontal movement and .a smooth stroke. Another object.` is to provide a. glider of the type described of very simple construction.

Af still further object. is to. provide, a. glider of the: type describedifwhich is. durable and may be manufacturedfa't l'ow cost.

'Other and" further objects'will be readily apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating an embodiment of the invention, and inwhich:

Figure 1 isa perspective view of the preferred Aform of my invention;

f Figure 2 is'an endv elevation View' of' Figurel;

Figure 3 isa partial sectional" elevation on line 3-'3v of Figure 2: and

YFigure 4- isv a detail section on line 4 4' on Figure 2.

The-invention resides in the novel construction combination' and arrangement of the` parts here-V inafter describedin detail and claimed' in the apfpcndedy claims. The embodiment of the inventionsselectedY for the purposesrof illustrating the invention comprises a main frame I ,v a swingable seatA 2', and intermediate swinging or floating spider frames-3A which arerswingingly supported by the two ends of the main frame. Thetwo endsfof seatstructure Zfare in turn swingingly supported from the spiders 3.

The main frame I comprises a pair of laterally spaced inverted U'shaped: endmembers; 5,` each of which includes a front and; rear vertical sup:- porting memberadjoined by a centralv horizontal reach portion Il'. The horizontal' reach portion I I serves as the support for'the seat in a manner which willbe presently described. The: twoend f framelmembers- 5 arejoinedbyf anl integral longitudinal member I 9 toconstitute an-integralframe unit. A substantially horizontal transverse brace member I5 is connected, as by welding or brazing, to the front and rear vertical members ofthe end tive end.. iframes-j` 5-. by welding, brazing. `'or otherwisesecuringthem to U-shaped platesf43 ixcdto. the-.brace member I5.- u A As previously mentioned; the ,seatv 2 is swing.- ingly.V supported-,from thev upper horizontal reaches I I.- otthe end. frames. 5. To th'slend, a.

pair of journal bearings. 22 in. the. form of. 'short cylindrical sleeves. are. attached to the under side of the horizontal reaches I I asby welding.` These bearings are adapted toreceive the hooked. ends 24. ofswing.y rods. 26. Thesev rodsv iii also have horizontally disposed hooked ends 2li whichv are journaledn cylindricalA sleeve bearings. 3u ifXed to the bottom. side. offa strut .32,v which. is liked to and. forms apart. off intermediate. spider frames 3 previously mentioned". The bearings. 3U areisospaced that the rods .26,are. substantially parallel.` The spider frames 3 comprise a'. plurality ,ofv Ll-slfapedfyoke members 36. which are xed'tog'etler. inv back-to-,b'ack relation'so that they, form', 'generalgIan X-shaped member.. strut-'35 iiedtothe upper ends of theyoke' members' 36in' the same' mannerv thatstrutv 32 is xed to the lower` ends ot the yoke members 36.' It will'be. readily'und'erstood that the yoke members. 3B. and the struts 32`and' 35` can be. sc"-v curedtog'cth'er infamy' manner such as boltmg. welding or brazing, It will'be apparentV from the' above description thatxthe spider frames 3 are Vpivotably supported" on the rods 26 `in suelta manner that the spiderl frames can be moved back and fortlirelative to the end frames 5' without substantially changingjthe angular position o1 the spi'der'frames.

, Suitable guide. means are providedg formain'- 'taining the. spiders. 3 in. planes parallel to the planes ofthe `endframes 5" during, the movement of the swing seat 2'. To tl'i'i's end; .the upper horizontal reaches I.I oi' the end' frames 5`l`1ave d'epending spaced parallel plates 42 which are the opposite Vl'e'gsjof' a U-sliaped member. welded'. or brazedto the opposite sides of, the reaches. `II and. adapted. to. embraeettne upper ends `of the spiders 3... Likewise.. another U-shapedmember, the. opposite legs. of which.. are spaced.r parallel plates. 43. is. liked to. the. horizontal brace. mem.- bers l5 andi extends.. upwardly therefrom teem.- brace `-the. lower end? of thespiders.` Anti-friction rollers.,v 4U. are journal'ed. ori-.bolts- 38.. which` extend throughthemembers 35 and. 32 and are adapted to engage .the plates 4-2. and.43,.respectively,for the, `purpose of guidingv the. spiders 3;'duringftheir forward and. backwardmovement.. l w y..

The., seatL Z-.isz swinginglwsupportedg fromV the upper end of the spider frames 3 by means of rods 50. The upper and lower ends respectively of these rods extend at right angles .to the main portion of the rods and engage spaced bearings l ailxed to the member 35 and `bearings 55 which are" attached to extensions 56 constituting a part of the frame of the seat structure 2. The seat 2 is made of tubular elements and the members 56 may be integral extensions thereof or may be separate elements attached by welding or brazing to the structural elements of `the seat. Since the seat is of conventionalconstruotionit forms no part of the invention and no further description is necessary.

From the foregoing descriptionit will be apparl ent that a person occupying the sea-t 2 can push the same backward and forward causing the spider frames 3 to swing on rods 26 and the seat 2'to swing on rods 50. The manner in which the rods arepivotally vconnected to the end frames 5. the spiderframes '3 and the seat 2 -is such as to constitute kparallelograms so that there is substantially no arcuate component to the swinging movement of the seat. lIn'oher words, the movement ofthe seat is in a rectilinear path. The anti-'friction rollers 40 engaging plates 42 and 43 maintain the spider frames 3 in fixed planes and prevent the spiderl frames from tilting. It will be apparent that because of the great length of the rods 26, 50 and the parallelogram arrangements mentioned the arcuate component of the movement of the spider frame 3 will be extremely small while the seat will have a very long smooth glidingmovement. It will, of course, be apparent that ,minorV changescan be made while still embodying the broad aspect of the present invention.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be apparent -to those skilled 'in thev art `that many variations are possible Without departing from the inventive concept except as limited by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1.,'In an article of furniture the combination of a main frame, including laterally spaced end portions, verticalspider frames swingingly sup- .ported at spaced points on their lower ends from said end portions and a seat structure swingingly supported at each of itsends from the upper ends of'said ,spider frames and means for permitting movement of said spider frames relative lto said frame in directions transverse of said seat structure" while preventing 'said spider frames from turning end-for-end about a horizontal axis.

2. In combination in an article of furniture, a frame having horizontal supporting end portions, 'a seat structuresuspe'nded for swinging movement from said horizontal portions, a spider frame for each end of said seat structure, supporting members pivoted at their upper ends to said horizontal portions lof said frame and at their lower ends to the lower ends of said spider `frames in parallel relation, a second set of parallel members having their upper ends pivotly connected to the'upper end of said spider frames "and having their other ends pivotly connected to'said seat structure and means carried by said frame for permitting said spider frames to move transversely of saidframe and preventing changing of their angular-relation with respect to the Itransverse portion of said frame.

3. In combination in a glider, a seat structure, a frame member having rectangular end portions fand-'1a longitudinal interconnecting element 4 adapted to rest on a supporting surface or oor, a vertical iioating intermediate member, links pivotally connected at their upper ends to said frame member and at their lower ends to said vfloating member, additional links connected at their upper ends to said oating member and at their lower ends to said seat structure, all of said links being disposed in parallelism whereby backward and forward movements of said seat structure will be confined substantially to rectilinear movement, and means carried by said frame `member` Y, for preventing said floating member from turning out of its plane of movement.

4. In combination in an article of furniture, a

main frame including spaced rectangular end supporting portions and a longitudinal interconnecting element, floating members for each end ofY said supporting portions, said floating members being supported at their front and rear from one of said end supporting portions, guide means carried by each of said end frame portions, roller means carried by each of Said floating members and engaging said guide means, and a seat structure swingingly-supported at each of 'its ends from one of said floating members.

. 5. In combination in an article of furniture, a main frame including an inverted substantially U-shaped end supporting portion, a floating member, a seat Structure, links having their upper ends pivotally connected to said end supporting portion and their lower ends pivotally connected to said floating member, whereby said floating member is adapted to swing within the plane of said U-shaped end supporting portion, additional links pivotally connected at their upper ends to the upper end of said floating member and at their lower ends to said seat structure, guide means carried by said end supporting portion comprising spaced parallel plate members xed to said end supportingportion, and roller means carried by said floating member adapted to engage said spaced parallel plate members.

6. In combination in an article of furniture, a frame comprising a longitudinal member and inverted substantially' U-shaped end supporting portions each having a horizontal element. a seat structure, intermediate means having vertically spaced parallel horizontal members and interconnecting means therefor disposed adjacent and parallel to each of said end portions, a pair of links pivotally connected at their upper ends to the respective horizontal elements of said frame and at their lower ends to the lower of said horizontal members of said intermediate means, and a second set of links'connected at their upper ends to the respective upper horizontal members of said intermediate means, all of said links being disposed in parallelism whereby backward and forward movements of said seat structure will be conned substantially to rectilinear movement.A Y BURNARD MCGEHEE.

. REFERENCES CITED rT-he'following references are of record in the file of this patent:

'UNITED STATES PATENTS y Gerrick s l Nov. 7, 1939 

